Download or read book Riffs Meaning written by Stephen Lee Naish and published by SCB Distributors. This book was released on 2018-05-28 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite high and low brow pop culture references in their lyrics, sleeve art, and in interviews, no concise in-depth study exists of the Manic Street Preachers. This book is in some ways a response to that fact, a study of the band through one particular record. "This book brims with passion and insight and care... every five pages or so Naish had me scrambling to hear various Manics songs from across the years." — Paolo Hewitt "The Manic Street Preachers have long been a blind spot for me. In Riffs and Meaning, Stephen Lee Naish does a great service by creating a solid context for the band — how it developed and how it intersected with its rivals and critics (both in the press and on the stage). Centering his attention on one of their thorniest, most sprawling albums, Know Your Enemy, about which even the band has seemed ambivalent, Naish explores how the 'untameable child of Manic Street Preachers’ records' was a fundamental work, finally letting them escape the shadow of their lost guitarist/songwriter Richey Edwards and 'to forge a different version of the Manic Street Preachers that was almost completely set apart from their previous incarnations.'" — Chris O’Leary, Rebel Rebel: The Songs of David Bowie, 1964-1976 and Ashes to Ashes Like many bands worth obsessing over, the Manic Street Preachers are virtually unknown here in the States. [But this is a] passionate discourse about a divisive album that you should absolutely listen to again immediately. — John Sellers, author of Perfect From Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life

Download or read book The Anthropology of Parliaments written by Emma Crewe and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-05-13 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Anthropology of Parliaments offers a fresh, comparative approach to analysing parliaments and democratic politics, drawing together rare ethnographic work by anthropologists and politics scholars from around the world. Crewe’s insights deepen our understanding of the complexity of political institutions. She reveals how elected politicians navigate relationships by forging alliances and thwarting opponents; how parliamentary buildings are constructed as sites of work, debate and the nation in miniature; and how politicians and officials engage with hierarchies, continuity and change. This book also proposes how to study parliaments through an anthropological lens while in conversation with other disciplines. The dive into ethnographies from across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Region demolishes hackneyed geo-political categories and culminates in a new comparative theory about the contradictions in everyday political work. This important book will be of interest to anyone studying parliaments but especially those in the disciplines of anthropology and sociology; politics, legal and development studies; and international relations.

Download or read book Yodeling and Meaning in American Music written by Timothy E. Wise and published by Univ. Press of Mississippi. This book was released on 2016-10-28 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Timothy E. Wise presents the first book to focus specifically on the musical content of yodeling in our culture. He shows that yodeling serves an aesthetic function in musical texts. A series of chronological chapters analyzes this musical tradition from its earliest appearances in Europe to its incorporation into a range of American genres and beyond. Wise posits the reasons for yodeling's changing status in our music. How and why was yodeling introduced into professional music making in the first place? What purposes has it served in musical texts? Why was it expunged from classical music? Why did it attach to some popular music genres and not others? Why does yodeling now appear principally at the margins of mainstream tastes? To answer such questions, Wise applies the perspectives of critical musicology, semiotics, and cultural studies to the changing semantic associations of yodeling in an unexplored repertoire stretching from Beethoven to Zappa. This volume marks the first musicological and ideological analysis of this prominent but largely ignored feature of American musical life. Maintaining high scholarly standards but keeping the general reader in mind, the author examines yodeling in relation to ongoing cultural debates about singing, music as art, social class, and gender. Chapters devote attention to yodeling in nineteenth-century classical music, the nineteenth-century Alpine-themed song in America, the Americanization of the yodel, Jimmie Rodgers, and cowboy yodeling, among other topics.

Download or read book Music in the USA written by Judith Tick and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 920 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a compilation of primary source materials on American music, from 1540-2000, including some facsimiles.

Download or read book Mister Jelly Roll written by Alan Lomax and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2001-12-19 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A biography of Ferdinand 'Jelly Roll' Morton, one of the world's most influential composers of jazz.

Download or read book Music in Evolution and Evolution in Music written by Steven Jan and published by Open Book Publishers. This book was released on 2022-12-06 with total page 688 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Music in Evolution and Evolution in Music by Steven Jan is a comprehensive account of the relationships between evolutionary theory and music. Examining the ‘evolutionary algorithm’ that drives biological and musical-cultural evolution, the book provides a distinctive commentary on how musicality and music can shed light on our understanding of Darwin’s famous theory, and vice-versa. Comprised of seven chapters, with several musical examples, figures and definitions of terms, this original and accessible book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the relationships between music and evolutionary thought. Jan guides the reader through key evolutionary ideas and the development of human musicality, before exploring cultural evolution, evolutionary ideas in musical scholarship, animal vocalisations, music generated through technology, and the nature of consciousness as an evolutionary phenomenon. A unique examination of how evolutionary thought intersects with music, Music in Evolution and Evolution in Music is essential to our understanding of how and why music arose in our species and why it is such a significant presence in our lives.

Download or read book Ernie McClintock and the Jazz Actors Family written by Elizabeth M. Cizmar and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-01-19 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ernie McClintock and the Jazz Actors Family is a critical biography examining the life and work of Ernie McClintock, the founder of the Jazz Acting Method and 1997 recipient of the Living Legend Award from the National Black Theatre Festival, whose inclusive contributions to acting and actor training have largely remained on the fringes of scholarship and practice. Based on original archival research and interviews with McClintock’s students and peers, this book traces his life from his childhood in Chicago to Harlem in the 1960s at the height of the Black Arts Movement, to Richmond, Virginia in 2003, paying particular attention to his Black Power–influenced, culturally specific acting theory and versatile Black theatrical productions. As a biographical study, this book establishes McClintock as a leading figure of the Black Theatre Movement, proven by the Jazz Acting technique, his critically acclaimed productions, and his leadership positions in organizations such as the Black Theatre Alliance. Ernie McClintock and the Jazz Actors Family explores how the Jazz Acting technique was applied in productions such as N.R. Davidson’s El Hajj Malik, Derek Walcott’s Dream on Monkey Mountain, Cheryl West’s Before It Hits Home, Endesha Mae Holland’s From the Mississippi Delta, and many collectively-authored pieces. The book also investigates why he has been excluded from dominant theatre histories, especially considering how, as a gay Black man, he persistently defied the status quo, questioning practices of administrators of theatres and mainstream theatrical standards. Ernie McClintock and the Jazz Actors Family is situated at the intersection of Black acting theory, Black Arts Movement history, and Black queer studies, and is an illuminating study of an important figure for actors, acting teachers, acting students, and cultural historians. This is an essential resource for readers who are seeking histories and approaches outside of a white, straight, Eurocentric framework.

Download or read book What Is Post Punk written by Mimi Haddon and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2023-02-06 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is post-punk a genre? Where did it come from? And what does it mean?

Download or read book Performing Exile Performing Self written by Y. Meerzon and published by Springer. This book was released on 2012-04-05 with total page 406 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the life and art of those contemporary artists who by force or by choice find themselves on other shores. It argues that the exilic challenge enables the émigré artist to (re)establish new artistic devices, new laws and a new language of communication in both his everyday life and his artistic work.

Download or read book Mean Deviation written by Jeff Wagner and published by Bazillion Points Books. This book was released on 2010 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Revered former Metal Maniacs editor Jeff Wagner analyses the heady side of metal in this exhaustive narrative history of a relentlessly ambitious musical subculture. Beginning with the hugely influential mid-1970s efforts of progressive rock acts Rush and King Crimson, Wagner unfurls a vast colourful tapestry of sounds and styles, from the 'Big 3' of Queensryche, Fates Warning and Dream Theater to the extreme prog pioneers Voivod, Watchtower, Celtic Frost and others.

Download or read book The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time written by William Safire and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2007-11-01 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the past twenty-five years Americans have relied on Pulitzer Prize-winning wordsmith William Safire for their weekly dose of linguistic illumination in The New York Times Magazine's column "On Language" -- one of the most popular features of the magazine and a Sunday-morning staple for innumerable fans. He is the most widely read writer on the English language today. Safire is the guru of contemporary vocabulary, speech, language, usage and writing. Dedicated and disputatious readers itch to pick up each column and respond to the week's linguistic wisdom with a gotcha letter to the Times. The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time marks the publication of Safire's sixteenth book on language. This collection is a classic to be read, re-read, enjoyed and fought over. Fans, critics and fellow linguists wait with bated (from the French abattre "to beat down") breath for each new anthology -- and, like its predecessors, this one is bound to satisfy and delight. Safire finds fodder for his columns in politics and current events, as well as in science, technology, entertainment and daily life. The self-proclaimed card-carrying language maven and pop grammarian is not above tackling his own linguistic blunders as he detects language trends and tracks words, phrases and clichés to their source. Scholarly, entertaining and thoughtful, Safire's critical observations about language and slanguage are at once provocative and enlightening. Safire is America's go-to guy when it comes to language, and he has included sharp and passionately opinionated letters from readers across the English-speaking world who have been unable to resist picking up a pen to put the maven himself in his place or to offer alternate interpretations, additional examples, amusing anecdotes or just props. The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time is a fascinating, learned and piquant look at the oddities and foibles that find their way into the English language. Exposing linguistic hooey and rigamarole and filled with Safire's trademark wisdom, this book has a place on the desk or bedside table of all who share his profound love of the English language -- as well as his penchant for asking "What does that mean?" Or, "Wassat?" This new collection is sure to delight readers, writers and word lovers everywhere and spark the interest of anyone who has ever wondered, "Where did the phrase 'brazen hussy' come from?"

Download or read book Mystery Science Theater 3000 written by Matt Foy and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2024-08-20 with total page 183 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fun and fascinating deep dive into the impact and creation of the cult-hit television series Mystery Science Theater 3000. Few television shows can boast the long-term cult popularity and cultural influence of Mystery Science Theater 3000—or MST3K to its legions of devoted fans, known collectively as MSTies. Created by quirky standup comic Joel Hodgson and producer Jim Mallon, Mystery Science Theater 3000 was a low-budget and altogether unconventional comedy series about a man trapped in space and forced to watch the worst movies ever made alongside a pair of homemade, wisecracking robots named Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot. In Mystery Science Theater 3000: A Cultural History, Matt Foy and Christopher J. Olson explore the vast cultural influence of the cult television series, charting how the show’s aesthetics, style of humor, and distribution innovations heralded shifts in popular culture and media production and criticism. The show also engaged viewers in the do-it-yourself media subculture of the 1980s that blurred the lines between media producers and consumers and introduced the art of media “riffing” into popular culture. Beginning with the humble origins of MST3K, Foy and Olson dig into everything from the show’s journey across networks to the must-watch episodes. Also discussed are the endeavors of cast members after the show’s cancellation, including RiffTrax, Cinematic Titanic, and the Mads Are Back, as well as the show’s second life through a Kickstarter campaign and a Netflix revival. This is an essential guide to all things MST3K for fans both new and old.

Download or read book The Swing Era written by Gunther Schuller and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1991-12-19 with total page 944 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here is the book jazz lovers have eagerly awaited, the second volume of Gunther Schuller's monumental The History of Jazz. When the first volume, Early Jazz, appeared two decades ago, it immediately established itself as one of the seminal works on American music. Nat Hentoff called it "a remarkable breakthrough in musical analysis of jazz," and Frank Conroy, in The New York Times Book Review, praised it as "definitive.... A remarkable book by any standard...unparalleled in the literature of jazz." It has been universally recognized as the basic musical analysis of jazz from its beginnings until 1933. The Swing Era focuses on that extraordinary period in American musical history--1933 to 1945--when jazz was synonymous with America's popular music, its social dances and musical entertainment. The book's thorough scholarship, critical perceptions, and great love and respect for jazz puts this well-remembered era of American music into new and revealing perspective. It examines how the arrangements of Fletcher Henderson and Eddie Sauter--whom Schuller equates with Richard Strauss as "a master of harmonic modulation"--contributed to Benny Goodman's finest work...how Duke Ellington used the highly individualistic trombone trio of Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, Juan Tizol, and Lawrence Brown to enrich his elegant compositions...how Billie Holiday developed her horn-like instrumental approach to singing...and how the seminal compositions and arrangements of the long-forgotten John Nesbitt helped shape Swing Era styles through their influence on Gene Gifford and the famous Casa Loma Orchestra. Schuller also provides serious reappraisals of such often neglected jazz figures as Cab Calloway, Henry "Red" Allen, Horace Henderson, Pee Wee Russell, and Joe Mooney. Much of the book's focus is on the famous swing bands of the time, which were the essence of the Swing Era. There are the great black bands--Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, Earl Hines, Andy Kirk, and the often superb but little known "territory bands"--and popular white bands like Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsie, Artie Shaw, and Woody Herman, plus the first serious critical assessment of that most famous of Swing Era bandleaders, Glenn Miller. There are incisive portraits of the great musical soloists--such as Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Bunny Berigan, and Jack Teagarden--and such singers as Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, and Helen Forest.

Download or read book Kendrick Lamar and the Making of Black Meaning written by Christopher M. Driscoll and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-09-25 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Kendrick Lamar has established himself at the forefront of contemporary hip-hop culture. Artistically adventurous and socially conscious, he has been unapologetic in using his art form, rap music, to address issues affecting black lives while also exploring subjects fundamental to the human experience, such as religious belief. This book is the first to provide an interdisciplinary academic analysis of the impact of Lamar’s corpus. In doing so, it highlights how Lamar’s music reflects current tensions that are keenly felt when dealing with the subjects of race, religion and politics. Starting with Section 80 and ending with DAMN., this book deals with each of Lamar’s four major projects in turn. A panel of academics, journalists and hip-hop practitioners show how religion, in particular black spiritualties, take a front-and-center role in his work. They also observe that his astute and biting thoughts on race and culture may come from an African American perspective, but many find something familiar in Lamar’s lyrical testimony across great chasms of social and geographical difference. This sophisticated exploration of one of popular culture’s emerging icons reveals a complex and multi faceted engagement with religion, faith, race, art and culture. As such, it will be vital reading for anyone working in religious, African American and hip-hop studies, as well as scholars of music, media and popular culture.

Download or read book Keywords for Media Studies written by Laurie Ouellette and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2017-03-14 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Essential vocabulary of Media Studies Keywords for Media Studies introduces and aims to advance the field of critical media studies by tracing, defining, and problematizing its established and emergent terminology. The book historicizes thinking about media and society, whether that means noting a long history of "new media," or tracing how understandings of media "power" vary across time periods and knowledge formations. Bringing together an impressive group of established scholars from television studies, film studies, sound studies, games studies, and more, each of the 65 essays in the volume focuses on a critical concept, from "fan" to "industry," and "celebrity" to "surveillance." Keywords for Media Studies is an essential tool that introduces key terms, research traditions, debates, and their histories, and offers a sense of the new frontiers and questions emerging in the field of media studies.

Download or read book Music Performance Meaning written by Nicholas Cook and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-07-05 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This selection of sixteen of Nicholas Cook's essays covers the period from 1987 to 2004 and brings out the development of the author's ideas over these years. In particular the two keywords of the title -Meaning and Performance- represent critical directions that expand to the point that, by the end of the book, they become coextensive: music is seen as social action and meaning as created by that action. Within this overall direction, a wide variety of topics is explored, ranging from Beethoven to Schenker, from Chinese qin music to jazz and rock, from perceptual psychology to sketch studies and analysis of record sleeves. A substantial introduction draws out the links (and differences) between the essays, sometimes critiquing them and always setting them into the developing context of the author's work as a whole.

Download or read book Riffs written by Rikky Rooksby and published by Backbeat Books. This book was released on 2010-11-01 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: (Book). Rikky Rooksby's revised and updated bestseller explores more than 200 classic riffs, from Cream and Led Zeppelin, through Nirvana and Soundgarden, to Metallica, U2, and the White Stripes. The first half of the book analyzes classic rock riffs and reveals the stories behind their creation. Easy-to-read text describes and explains each riff, supported by illustrations and audio examples. The book's second section shows how to construct great riffs and why they work. Readers learn how to shape a melody, integrate a guitar riff with the rest of a song, enhance a riff with effects, and work with intervals and scales to build riffs.